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Curtis Brothers Quartet & Orice Jenkins with Orice Jenkins

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Two of Hartford’s favorite sons of Jazz, Grammy winning bassist Luques Curtis and award-winning pianist Zaccai Curtis, are bringing their band to Infinity Hall for a hometown throw down!! Between the two brothers, they’ve worked with Cindy Blackman-Santana, Gary Burton, Ralph Peterson, Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, Ray Vega and Hartford Hero of Jazz Jimmy Greene to name a few. Up and coming Hartford Artist, Orice Jenkins warms up your ear drums for this special evening of Hartford-Grown Latin Jazz.

STUDENT TICKETS ARE JUST $14 - including taxes and fees.  To purchase please go to the Hartford Box Office and show valid student ID. Or call 866-666-6306 for more information.

Curtis Brothers

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www.truthrevolutionrecords.com/artists/curtisbrothers

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Artist Bio

In 2005 The Curtis Brothers Quartet was formed. They’ve travelled all over the world, from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. to Puerto Rico, Cuba and all over the U.S. They have performed together with some of the greatest Latin Jazz legends alive such as, Andy Gonzalez, Donald Harrison, Papo Vazquez, Hilron Ruiz, Ray Vega, Brian Lynch, Mitch Frohman to name a few. In 2005 they were honored to be hand picked by Ray Barretto, Bruce Barth and Hilton Ruiz, in 2005, to be involved in U.S. state department's "American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program." Together they have released 2 CDs that have made their mark in the Jazz and Latin Jazz community and are currently working on their newest CD, “Completion of Proof.” The Curtis Brothers are signed to the indie record label “Truth Revolution Records” and perform regularly at B. Smith’s Restaurant in Times Square New York and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe located in the East Village. Visit them at www.CurtisBrothersMusic.com for more information and their activities.

Brothers Luques (bass) and Zaccai (piano) Curtis follow in the rich family tradition of jazz. The music has often been the beneficiary of sibling bonds. Look no further than the Adderley brothers (Cannonball & Nat), the Heath Brothers (Percy, Jimmy, and Albert (Tootie), the Brecker Brothers, or more recently the Roney brothers (Wallace & Antoine), the Parrott sisters (Nicki and Lisa), and the Jensen sisters (Christine & Ingrid). Jazz music has frequently been the family tie that binds. And as with the Curtis Brothers those are also siblings that recorded and performed together. Based on the brilliance of Completion of Proof, clearly Luques and Zaccai Curtis have joined that auspicious tradition.

For Completion of Proof, the Curtis Brothers have enlisted a powerhouse crew of musicians - many of whom serve as mentors to the Curtis Brothers - including drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr.,Brian Lynch on trumpet, and their Artist Collective mentor, Jimmy Greene on saxophones. The date also includes alto saxophonist, "Big Chief" Donald Harrison. It was Harrison who gave the Brothers their first touring band experience. "He really showed us how to act, play, and what not to do on the road," says Zaccai. The underrated fire-breathing saxophonist Joe Ford "has always been an influence from a very early age." The brothers play in Lynch's band and alongside Ford with Jerry González Fort Apache Band as occasional subs for Andy González and Larry Willis. Percussionists Rogerio Boccato, Pedro Martinez, and Reinaldo De Jesus help bring further folkloric Pan African flavor to the date.

The brothers have recorded with a notable discography of cohorts, including Gary Burton, Orrin Evans, Donald Harrison, Sean Jones, Brian Lynch & Eddie Palmieri, and John Santos among others. They dubbed their 2010 debut brother act Blood - Spirit - Land - Water - Freedom (Truth Revolution).Completion of Proof is another title whose definition is omni-directional. Quizzed on how the titleCompletion of Proof compliments the sumptuous music they serve up, Zaccai informed: "The title has a lot to do with how this project turned out. We had our hypothesis, completed the experiment which was a success in many ways... Q.E.D. or Completion of Proof." The disc crackles with a vigor rooted squarely in the hard bop tradition, though most assuredly with diverse 21st century generational twists and turns.

The Curtis Brothers artistic journey began in Hartford, Connecticut. There NEA Jazz Master Jackie McLean and wife Dollie's exceptional urban cultural development center the Artists Collective nurtured the brothers' early musical impulses, "then David Santoro at the Hartford Academy of the Arts," says Zaccai. Eventually both brothers continued their studies in Boston, Zaccai at the New England Conservatory, and Luques at Berklee College of Music.

For the Curtis Brothers, Completion of Proof is an affirmation of the basic root sources of jazz. Their music is rife with the blues, swing rhythms in recognition of the Africa-Caribbean-New Orleans lineage, and the basic core elements that make the music such a spicy, hard bop melting pot. In many ways the music on Completion of Proof is for the Curtis Brothers a refutation of what they view from some of their peers as a denial or dismissal of those root sources. "Fast forward to today's modern jazz and you are lucky to hear just one of those elements come from a performance or recording. Blues harmonies seem to be replaced with simplified classical harmonies. Drums and rhythms have been mixed down in the modern recording so you can barely hear them! Swing has been ripped from the music. In most cases there are no elements of the jazz language... never mind bebop!

Orice Jenkins

Connect with this artist:

www.oricejenkins.webs.com

Singer-songwriter, Orice Jenkins' first love was Hip-Hop. His second love was Jazz. He identifies with soul music above all, but studies classical music. When he allows himself to make music without restrictions, the result strikes a chord in the hearts of all kinds of people and enables him to be on stage with musicians such as Stanley Jordan, Jane Monheit, Eddie Henderson, and Doug Wimbish, while earning comparisons to vocalists ranging from Gil Scott-Heron and Curtis Mayfield to Al Jarreau and Johnny Hartman. His debut recording was an EP of his first original songs entitled "Around the Piano" - recorded six years after most of its songs were written. Now in his early 20's, Orice's new album-in-progress, "Soar", branches out to neo-soul interpretations of jazz classics, jazz arrangements of songs written by public figures extending from James Weldon Johnson to Drake and Kanye West, and traditional covers of Stevie Wonder tunes and Great American Songbook masterpieces.

Orice was born into a culturally diverse community in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. He credits growing up in a Black Catholic church as the source of his love for unorthodox arrangements. His vast amount of influences, including Jamie Cullum, Alicia Keys, and Harry Connick, Jr., were inspired by the greats such as Nat "King" Cole, Nina Simone, and Donny Hathaway; all artists that have achieved "pop" music success despite coming from a jazz or classical background. Most of Orice's inspirations are also exceptionally gifted at something other than singing and songwriting such as arranging, playing instruments, producing, and conducting. Orice has studied all of these crafts with educators like David Macbride, Larry Alan Smith, Nat Reeves, Ken Steen, Andy LaVerne and more at the prestigious Hartt School, alma mater to Steve Davis, Dionne Warwick, and Javier Colon. He has also studied voice with Shawnn Monteiro, Kevin Mahogany, Sheila Jordan, and other respected jazz vocalists.

Orice's music has been a hometown favorite in venues such as Bushnell Theater, the Connecticut Convention Center, Bushnell Park, the Mark Twain House, and Black Eyed Sally's. He has also been welcomed to sing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and the legendary Birdland Jazz Club, both in New York. The versatile musician worked for five years as a pianist for Goodspeed Opera House and currently has an ongoing engagement at Foxwoods Casino as the keyboard player and musical director for R&B veteran, Kenny Hamber. In addition to being a student, sideman, recording artist, and bandleader; Orice teaches at Charter Oak Cultural Center, Rawson Elementary School, Covenant Preparatory School and substitutes at Artists Collective. He loves all of his work, but feels most passionate about singing his arrangements from his upcoming album. The project will be released in the Spring of 2016 and will feature Orice's normal band (two trombones, Fender Rhodes, guitar, bass, and drums), along with guest vocalists and rappers that have been close to Orice during his seven years of music making. It will take you through various styles of African-American music including Afro-Cuban, Swing, Soul, Hip-Hop, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop and Go-Go. The world might not be ready for a "jazz singer-songwriter" quite like this, but Orice Jenkins doesn't care, and he's ready to Soar!

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